1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to rotating buffing tools, and more particularly to a tool which can be used with nails, such as fingernails or toenails, whether real or artificial.
2. Description of Related Art
With the growth of the personal healthcare and beauty industry, one of the areas which has experienced phenomenal growth has been the nail industry. It has been estimated that each day between 500,000-1,000,000 individuals receive attention to their nails specifically involving attention to artificial nails. Typically, a nailcare customer returns every two weeks for further attention. Because of this consumer demand, nailcare can now be obtained not only at spas or high end beauty salons, but at barber shops and customized nail boutiques. One of the things that has greatly impacted the industry has been the introduction of artificial fingernails.
The artificial fingernail industry has spawned an industry unto itself. Most salon catalogues devote pages to tools and products which can be used in the application of artificial nails. With respect to the tools associated with the application of artificial nails, there are the nail forms, the drills, various drill bits used in the shaping of the artificial nail, sanders used in smoothing the artificial nail prior to the application of polish, and buffers used just prior to the application of polish.
A typical appointment for a wearer of artificial fingernails includes the following steps. First, the existing nail is filed to eliminate any areas of inconsistency. Then, the actual acrylic nail mixture is applied. Once dry, the artificial nail is shaped into its general shape using an emery board. The next step normally involves the filing of the acrylic to a state of being fairly smooth. Finally, a buffing tool is used on the artificial nail to obtain a smooth, finished appearance. After buffing, cuticle oil and polish may be applied if desired.
While numerous types of bits and sanders have permitted nails to be properly shaped, a problem area remains when it comes to buffing. This problem can best be appreciated by a better understanding of the work-day of an experienced nail professional who may see twenty customers per day, which translates into the buffing of at least two hundred nails. Using small buffers held at the tips of two or three fingers can cause cramping in the applicator's fingers over the course of a day. Consequently, larger rectangularly block-shaped buffers were developed which could be held loosely by all of the fingers in the applicator's hand. To lessen fatigue, some blocks were made using lightweight foam materials, and some were easily compressible by light application of squeezing pressure.
Buffer structure developed such that some blocks featured a plurality of abrasive types on various sides. For example, one side might have a medium grit of abrasive applied thereto, while another side would only have fine grit, and yet another only have coarse grit. While block-shaped buffers did not tire out the applicator's hands as much as the smaller buffing tools, the hands still tired over the course of doing hundreds of nails per day. Additionally, the relatively large size of the blocks made it difficult to easily polish each and every nail to the degree desired. Finally, the necessity of buffing each nail by hand, instead through the use of a machine, continued to make the process extremely time consuming.
As a result, some nail care professionals decided to speed up the buffing process and lessen the fatigue on their hands by using traditional nail care tools designed for the polishing of artificial nails. However, two other problems presented themselves by the used of traditional polishing tools. First, the heat generated by the bit during the time period when it must remain in contact with the nail during the buffing operation can actually cause discomfort to the artificial nail wearer. Second, the abrasive tools used to try to effect the buffing of the artificial nail often resulted in the nail surface not being as smooth as desired, since the goal of the polishing bits was to grind away undesirable bits of acrylic, not the buffing of the acrylic surface.
Atttemps at lessening the detrimental effects of heat in the buffing process described above have caused some nail tool manufacturers to resort to buffing surfaces other than grit abrasives. For example, some artificial nail buffing tools have been developed to use felt or chamois covered drill bits. Regardless of the substance in contact with the artificial nail surface, traditional drill bits have all been formed in essentially the same way.
It is thus apparent that the need exists for a nail buffing tool that can be used on real nails as well as during the application of an artificial nail so as to overcome the problems associated with the prior art. Such a tool should be capable of being used with various brands of drills currently being used in the nail care industry.